Imagine that you were a little up-town child who had only seen pretty dolls on television. One day, your mum finally took you to a huge toy store in the city, thinking Hamley's of London or Toy “R” Us. Now, tell me how you would feel the first minute you walked in the Dolls Department… That’s how I felt exactly as soon as you walked in START Women - the excitement, the fashion simulation and, of course, the rock & roll!What’s the fuss?
Opened by a former cult rock star, Brix Smith-Start, and her cool partner, Philip Start, the truly quirky and individual Shoreditch boutiques offer an extensive amount of clothes for stylish women and men. Since its open in October 2002, it has expanded from 1 to 3 boutiques: Men’s, Women’s and Tailoring & Made-to-Measure stores. They have also launched the fabulous online store since June 2007, but please stay tuned, as START will re-launch a new site towards the end of June 2008.
START boutiques have best been known for its wide range of women’s and men’s and denim from Nudie, J Brand, Acne, Earnest Sewn to Superfine. And Brix is just a pure fashion genius. She personally attends all the important fashion shows and use incredibly sharp fashion sense to discover talented new designers besides buying high-end fashion labels.
Therefore it is official that START has some exclusive stuffs to shop! When I say “exclusive”, it really means the only place in
- Upstair - 1st Room: the cool yet welcoming interior, the brilliant jeans corner plus all the new discoveries of Brix...
- Upstair - 2nd Room: pretty shoe shelf & stylish sunglasses cabinet (I'll show you in a minute), some of START heavyweight labels, the jewellery & accessory tables and the beautiful cosmetics corner....
- Downstair - A very romantic and chic room stored full of stylish and quirky brands like Miu Miu. Seriously, even their wallpaper and fitting rooms just have so much more character! Obviously, it shows Brix and Phillip's cool taste.
Inspired by the natural beauty of the wine country of northern Californina, its foundation ingredients are as organic as you can imagine - hand-pressed, anti-oxidant olive and grape seed oils. Olivina has absolutely refreshing, seductive and earthy unisex scent.
- Meet the Style Guru
Dress: 3.1 Phillip Lim £449Shoes: Miu Miu £245
Dress: Rick Owen - Brix's true love £765Shoes: Miu Miu £245
- The lovely, stylish and super helpful staffs - Sorry, I didn't have time to feature all the staffs, but truely they are a DREAM team :)
Dress & Shoes: VintageBag: Mulberry in delicious fuschia £595
- Outfit 1
Coat: Miu Miu £945 - Do we have to say anything? They speak for themselves!Bag: Miu Miu - The colour is purely divine and the leather is soft yet durable!
Shoes: Chloe £259 - The silk satin and the cute little heel give a edgy yet sweet look.
Legging: ZOEtee's £49.50 - Super cool legging is a great alternaive to skinny jeans in summer!
Organza Cape: Miu Miu £719 - The quirky runway cape is just adorable from colour to cut!- Outfit 3
Top: 3.1 Phillip Lim £210 - Yellow & Taupe Brown in Sheer Organza is just beautifulSkirt: Rick Owen £210 - The King of easy cutting needs no explanation for every fabulous cut!
Sandals: Chloe - Bronzy colour and cute butterfly shape in front - you just need to have it!
(P.S. I like Charles Anastase who is a young French talent. He started as a fashion illustrator who has drawn for A.P.C. and Calvin Klein, and worked for many magazines. Thus, if you want something poetic, come to START!)
Shoes: Miu Miu £199 - patent leather mary-jane flat! Great for summer!
Dress: 3.1 Phillip Lim £495 - gives the perfectly innocent yet sensual "first date" lookShoes: Marc Jacobs £299 - Black £ white is simply classic!
Dress: Richard Nicoll £599 - The luxurious silk organza has been transformed into this individual look!Shoes: Miu Miu £185 - Red, patent and peep-toe is just to die for!
Dress: Lunga De Fancy £189.50 - The dress comes in white, black and grey - Keira Knightley got 2, so it must say something!- Outfit 8
Dress: Rick Owen £595 - Who else can really make the soft, thrown-on cut timeless?Bag: Panric Sweeney - Brilliant Leather & Quirky Details
Shoes: Chloe £299
33 comments:
I think my comment got lost.
Oh, if ONLY I lived in London . . . .
To enc: My dear, they have listed everything online! If you join the mailing list, you will even get secret online sales notification :)
oh the rick owens dress and the miu miu cape. especially the cape. <3<3<3
And a very Charming "Dream Team" . . . I want to be helped by Charlotte !!! She literally exudes a lot of CLASS . . . and This kind of "Féminissimes" flat sandals is also like a real "Fetish-Pleasure" : Aaahhh, The delicate art of
"Feet exhibition" . . .
"Lady Brix" seems to be very charismatic, full of powerful eccentricity . . .
Another Great Tribute to a "London's Fashion Figurehead", Dear !!!
A Bientôt, Antoine
that store looks amazing
and thanks you for that LOVELY comment
Wow, dear, I think I would feel like a child in a candy shop.
I love all you picture and the outfits, awesome.
A great review as always.
And the mix of modern decoration with some classic pieces is so well achived.
Thank you darling for sharing with us.
I've read you telling enc that we can join the mailing list, I think that's what I'm going to do ;)
Luv
xx
Hello, I live in U.S., but love shopping in London... so much more character... I love Brix and of course, love this shop!
Can't believe it has online shopping... great! I will join the mailing list! Again, thank you so much! I seldom see a shop review as comprehensive and helpful as this! Well done!
Hey, how amazing! My partner and I are coming to London in 3 weeks time, so I was searching for all the shop reviews. This is the best!
Thank you so much for sharing this lovely information! I really love Start and its individual fashion! Totally love it, thanks :)
that backless 3.1 Phillip Lim dress is making me drool!
Darling, and again such a nice review. I really wonder how you take the time and manage concepting and then writing and assemble such brilliant posts with all the hussle of daily life? What's your job actually? Kisses.
i really am not a fan of eccentric prints but i LOVE LOVE LOVE the first dresss. and the yellow bag, such a classic style in such a bold color. great combo. LOVE THE BLOG!
The store is really fascinating. They sell such pretty clothes and the interior looks stunning!
outfit 6 is wonderous :)
so many clothes excites me!
hopefully i can visit little old london sometimes in the summer
blossomclothingx
That striped dress and yellow bag are lovely. Must make a stop there when I'm next in the city.
That Kate Moss dress has almost entirely sold out online but then it's to be expected and yess, I have to get those red shoes as a post-exam treat!
Thank you my stylish friends! I don't have time to reply all the comments one by one, but a MASSIVE "Thank You" to all of your interests, support and love, lots of lots of love xxxxxxxx
i'll keep this adress for the day that i'm coming in ldn again! it must be quite exciting!
Hello, what a great post! I cannot believe that I have been living in London for years without noticing this amazing boutique!
I will FOR SURE join the mailing list, and pop in next week! It's great that they have cool clothing for both women and men, so my husband won't complain....
Darling, thank you so much for sharing this information! You are an angle! xxxx
Kelly rocks, great model, great selection of clothes, great boutique review once again ... I love START and you certainly did it justice with this wonderful post. xx
oooh this shop must be the collest store!! =) ..when ill come to london the next time ill be there!! ;)
hey dear,
such a great review with great photos!! if i ever go to london, these will be the first places i visit!
xxxxxxxx
I stopped by your blog and just couldn't stop reading about this review. Your world is so different from mine and I almost didn't comment. But, I was just drawn in to all of your descriptions. I was just inspired.
Even though I cannot be where you are or in the same situation, it helps me strive to look my best and want to be my best. Thank you for such a great blog. KC
wow, i love all i see here!
a kiss for you dear!!!
you are amazing!
thanks too for your care :)
see you!
To Héloïse J.: I'm glad that you like it so much! You know that you can join the mailing list, so START will send you all the information for secret sales!
To Daniela: Thank you for the lovely comment! I'm happy that you like this store - it's truely a rare find in London!
To July Stars: My stylish dear, you shop in London... so you know the best xx
To Siri Malene: Darling you can shop it online! START has everything on its site. Make sure to join the mailing list, and you will get all the newsletters!
To Cate: Yes, please come to London! For START, it is worthy it :)
To K.C.: Thanks for stopping by and your touching and moving comment. I'm a bit speechless now... while I always believe that style comes from personality and confidence on how much you know yourself... of course, being a bit luxury can help a lot... Still, I hope the blog gives you some different views of styling... and you are more than welcome to come back regularly, since I will update when there is any sales... Thanks again for your visiting! Lots of love xx
All great clothing but I am in love with that red organza cape! Thank you so much for your great comment. That meant a lot coming from someone as stylish as you!
What a beautiful store (and stylish clothes)...
The 3.1 Phillip Lim dress is just amazing. Thanks for the lovely inspiration in this post!
wow, great post!
I need to go to London now
The red miu miu cape is wonderful!!!
To Danz: Thank you darling! I love that cape! It's such a clever piece, since cape is usually for autumn/winter. When Miu Miu did it light, it is just soooo mysterious and sexy, while still pretty easy going! Plus, that gorgeous red is just to die for!
To Aretha: True! That's why I love START so much. There are many clothing boutqiues in London, but the ones with true spirits are less and less... START rocks!
To Violetwired: Thank you my dear! Brix has picked all these amazing clothes with love and consideration! I love 3.1 Phillip Lim dress. Many of his clothes are just stylish and wearable x
To Miss at la Playa: Darling, welcome to London! I will more than happy to show you around! Before that, you can do START online shopping:)
To Romeika: That's right! I love that red cape so much.... from the organza fabric to the design xx
Hi, I have been to START before when it was just open years ago... and actually almost forgot.
I was reading your site and have just realised that START has grown so much bigger... I definitely need to go back for a visit! Indeed, I think I will buy Olivina for my friend's birthday, as she hearts organic products... Great, actually going to join their mailing list in a minute... A big thank you for a great post!
You certainly put a lot of work into your posts. What is it that you do for a living that allows you the time to do this as well? A truly excellent and comprehensive review.
Hi, I was searching for the place to buy jeans on Google and I came across your blog! I never realise there is such a great store for jeans in Shoreditch!
It will be so much easier for me to do a quick shopping after work, since I work in the city! I cannot believe how late I discover it... A massive thanks!
The shop is amazing! I have always shopped around west and central London, but this is MUCH MUCH BETTER! I have no idea of its existence, but hey, that's how we discover new things, right?
You are A STAR for sharing this info and your pictures make me feel that I'm already in the store! I just have to go!
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